Nervousness is a feeling of unease, worry, or fear, often about something that might happen in the future. It is a normal human emotion that can be a healthy response to stress or a difficult situation. However, when nervousness becomes excessive, persistent, and interferes with daily life, it may indicate a nervous personality.
Nervousness can significantly alter non-verbal communication and impact how others perceive you. Common non-verbal signs of nervousness include a tense posture, fidgeting, avoidance of eye contact, and a shaky voice or stammering. These body language cues of a nervous personality can cause people to see you as unfriendly, aloof, or even arrogant.
Nervousness can also manifest into interpreting social cues in the wrong manner, often leading to perceiving negative intentions in others’s actions or harbouring negative self-beliefs such as feeling incompetent or unlikable. An individual with a nervous personality may also experience fear of being judged or evaluated negatively, which can lead to avoiding social interactions.
In this article on ‘When you do this, people see this’, we will explore five body language signs of nervous personality traits.
5 Body Language Signs of Nervous Personality Traits
#1 Fidgeting with hands or objects
If you find yourself fidgeting with hands or objects, it is a sign of nervousness. This indicates feeling stressed, unease, and difficulty focusing, particularly in social situations or when under pressure. You may often find yourself indulging in excessive restless movements such as tapping fingers, bouncing legs, or playing with hair, fingers, or any nearby objects.
#2 Avoiding eye contact
If you avoid eye contact out of fear of being negatively judged or evaluated by others, it is a sign of nervous personality. You may experience discomfort, shyness, or fear as if you are under scrutiny. You may often find it hard to make eye contact, especially with new people or unfamiliar social settings. You may feel lack of confidence. A nervous personality may also often find places in public settings that can help them go in hiding.
#3 Rocking back and forth or excessive nodding
If you sway side to side or rock back and forth, it can reveal a nervous personality. Example, you may keep rocking in your chair at meetings or at your desk. You may feel a fear of failure or distress and unable to sit still. If you notice too much nodding when listening to someone or in a presentation, you may be feeling jittery and agreeing with everything. You might be wanting to appear less intimidating and more likeable.
#4 Self-soothing gestures (touching face, rubbing palms, crossed arms, biting nails)
If you often touching your face, rubbing palms, crossing arms, biting nails, feeling physically rigid, you may have a nervous personality. Touching your face may include rubbing the forehead, cheeks, or neck. Crossed arms may signal defensiveness or discomfort. You may feel nervous or out of your comfort zone in social situations. You may squeeze your hands or crack your knuckles to distract yourself from overwhelming emotions. You may shrink your body as much as possible such as raising shoulders and pulling them forward which makes your back hunched and make you appear small.
#5 Shaky voice or holding tears
If you exhibit shaky voice or find yourself holding tears, it may indicate a nervous personality. You may notice a high pitched voice or too childish and meek voice, especially in situations that cause stress or discomfort. You may experience a fight or flight response. You may feel nervous or performance stress when asked to speak in public. Sometimes, you may completely freeze up when nervous. You may feel overwhelming emotions that you are unable to form any thoughts.
Tip: When you are giving a presentation, focus on your material rather than your audience’s perception of you.
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